WHITLOCK: THE OTTER IN THE MID-TRENT VALLEY, 331 
Near the lair was found the Otters’ dining place—a spit of turf, 
with the herbage all flattened out and the tail ends of fish lying 
around. 
At the end of August, in the present year, I renewed my 
acquaintance with the Otter in the same locality. I was paddling 
about with my brother-in-law in a light boat, in a very sedgy part of 
the river, huge tufts of flags were growing all around like islands, 
We were waiting in the dusk of the evening for a shot at any ducks 
that might come down to feed. Presently we heard, about a hundred 
yards away, a sound as of some four-footed creature crashing through 
the flags at the side of the river. I suggested that it might be cattle 
come down to drink, or some stray dog ratting. The noise con- 
tinuing, we rowed our boat up the stream to investigate. After a few 
minutes had elapsed, I spied two heads swimming away in opposite 
directions. Presently one of these heads, with much sniffing and 
snorting, advanced to a tuft of sedges, and the%full length of a young 
Otter was exposed to view as the animal raised itself half out of the 
water. It appeared to be about three-parts grown, the same as its 
companion, which swam and dived around our boat without the least 
concern. Both were often within an oar’s length of us. 
Whilst this was going on we continually heard a shrill whistling 
sound coming from higher up the stream; the notes, which may 
represented by the syllables ‘ prip, preep,’ being very bird-like. Indeed 
I felt almost certain they were uttered by some belated Kingfisher 
or Sandpiper, several of which we knew were about. However, my 
companion was of a different opinion, and told me he had frequently 
heard the same noise before. He was certain the sounds were 
produced by Otters. He was right, too, for on following the noise 
we came up with a pair of old Otters, which were either calling one 
to the other or to their young lower down the stream. The apparent 
movement of the sound up and down the river which had aided in 
deceiving me as to its origin, was now explained, for they were 
beating the sedges on opposite sides of the stream. I presume we 
were witnessing a rat hunt, but whether successful or not I cannot 
say, for, unlike their progeny, the old Otters were very wary, and 
Soon dived away. : 
It is strange that Bell and more recent writers make no mention 
of any sound uttered by the Otter, but I can hardly suppose that 
this shrill whistling noise has not been commonly heard by other 
observers. It may be worth mentioning that we did not hear the 
young uttering any cry in response to their parents. 
- I learned that several people, fishermen and others, had seen this 
family party ; a lock-keeper having observed three of them cross over 
